DJCAD Level 3 Illustration students have been working on an Archive project each year since 2017. Normally, they use boxes of plans, diaries, photographs and other archival material from the collections, but with lock-down we turned to online oral history sources. The Dundee Oral History collection is a series of interviews with people associated with…Continue Reading The Archive & Illustration Exhibition
Writing History was an innovative School of Humanities module which encouraged students to explore different approaches to research and writing through the medium of the University’s archive collections. Students used records of Dundee’s jute industry, case books and other material from local asylums, and a range of items from whaling collections to consider how history…Continue Reading Writing History with the Archives
Although now associated with the eponymous shopping centre, the Overgate was once one of Dundee’s main roads, running from the West Port to the High Street. Known in earlier times as Argyllgait, a name later recycled for a nearby road, the Overgate has a long history, being one of Dundee’s mediaeval streets. Along with Nethergate,…Continue Reading Then and now – changing Dundee: the Overgate
The University of Dundee Archive Services have recently released a series of YouTube videos about Dundee’s railways, perfect for any railway enthusiasts. Watch them here: Here is a little snippet of what you can expect to see: …Continue Reading Dundee’s Railways
The first students’ union at University College Dundee’s was formed in 1886 but it wasn’t until 1904 that it was given its first premises at Ellenbank (No.1 Perth Road) a converted Georgian villa. By the 1950s it was clear that this was too small for an ever-expanding student population, leading to plans for new facilities…Continue Reading Then and now – changing Dundee: New Dines and the University Library
If you missed the Decolonising the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum event, the recording is now available on YouTube: Like many natural history museums, D’Arcy Thompson’s zoology collection was largely acquired during the colonial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the museum’s specimens come from colonies and dominions of the British…Continue Reading Decolonising the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum
For the third in our series looking at how the City has changed the University Archives focuses on the site of the V&A, an area which has been transformed over the last 250 years. Crawford’s 1776 plan of Dundee shows us that the area was the site of the harbour to the south of West…Continue Reading Then and now- changing Dundee: the V&A site
Student Lucy Southwell was part of the MSc Medical Art class that was led this semester by Museum Curator Matthew Jarron and Senior Archivist Jan Merchant. Having worked on promotional material for museums in London and a zine based on her own family history, Lucy was keen to collaborate on further projects using the collections. For Museum…Continue Reading Collaboration: the Artist and the Archive
Peter Carmichael (1809-1891) is one of Dundee’s quiet heroes. Largely unknown today, his impact on the textile industry and local community was impressive. Credited with several inventions which enhanced productivity, Carmichael began his career as an engineering apprentice, rising to be manager, then senior partner, of Baxter Brothers by the 1870s. Carmichael’s success was marked by his purchase of the Arthurstone Estate in Perthshire which he renovated and improved. Carmichael’s contribution to the textile industry and consequent prosperity of Dundee is little known,…Continue Reading Peter Carmichael: engineer, inventor & philanthropist
The University Archives continues its series looking at the changing face of the City by focusing on Reform Street. The junction of Reform Street and the High Street is one of the most familiar scenes in central Dundee, with the clock on the building of what was H. Samuel, the jeweller, being a well-known meeting…Continue Reading Then and now: changing Dundee – Reform Street
In this post, the first of a series from the University Archives, we look at how parts of the campus and Dundee have changed over the years. We start by looking at the Belmont area of campus, where the Belmont Halls are now. This image taken in 2017 will be familiar to many. Belmont doesn’t…Continue Reading Then and now: changing Dundee – Belmont
We’re excited to share with you this plan of Dundee’s underground from 1908. Dr Kenneth Baxter from the University Archives explains how this ambitious plan was finally realised in 1908 with funding from the Baxter family, who also donated the money to found University College Dundee. Designed by the then city architect Joseph King, the…Continue Reading Dundee’s Hidden History: City’s underground route revealed